Water ski and tow line storage rack and boat boarding ladder



Feb. 20, 1962 BOAT BOARDING LADDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 5, 1960 S r y mu w m m m4 Mm w K R; o M Q\ mm mo 51$ :N \.\|n MN. Ev. u 6 m v V\\ .1 o o i g? mm m N H .N h mm @F UHM a J x I 53:. BMLQEE: w j g 5::

Feb. 20, 1962 E. 1.. HOLT WATER SKI AND TOW LINE STORAGE RACK AND BOAT BOARDING LADDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 5, 1960 MA M 2 V- 7 A .A I??? m E E1? m f .w W. J w m "a w 1 m B 2 5 F v a 3,021,917 WATER SKI AND TOW LKNE STORAGE RACK AND BOAT BQARDING LADDER Edwin L. Hoit, 6714 Girard Ave. 5., Minneapoiis 23, Minn. Filed Dec. 5, 1966, Ser. No. 73,732 Claims. (Cl. 182-95) The present invention has relation to boating equipment and more particularly to a device that may be folded to position to store water skis and tow line and also may be positioned to permit it to be used as a boat boarding ladder, for example, when the skis and line are in use.

Water skis are inherently awkward and difiicult to carry in a boat and often are accidentally dropped or knocked overboard. The tow line also becomes snarled and tangled when it is stored in the bottom of a boat. During periods when the boat is not used the skiing equipment must be stored where it is safe from theft, thereby creating another storage problem.

The present invention discloses a device that will safely store water skis and tow line out of the way on the boat when the skis are not in use. After a water skier has been towed by the boat and wishes to board the boat the device may be readily moved to position to form a boat boarding ladder for the skier. When the device is being used as a boarding ladder a lower rung thereof is in the water to permit easy use by a person boarding the boat. The ladder can quickly be pivoted up out of the water to its original position when the boat is under power. The device is also very quickly removed from provided brackets that are fixedly attached to the boat and is a handy rack for keeping the skis and line together when they are stored indoors or transported from place to place.

The unit is safe, strong, light weight and low cost. The compact design and multiple usage makes the device a practical aid in preventing loss or damage to water skis or line as well as a portabie rack for neat and orderly storage.

It is an object of the present invention to present a device that may be removably attached to the side of a boat and serve as a foldable boat boarding ladder, as a self storing rack for the folded sections of the ladder, or as a storage rack for water skiing equipment.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a device made according to the present invention shown installed on a boat with the device in position for storing water skis and a tow line and for transporting the ladder clear of the surface of the water;

PEG. 2 is a top plan view of the device in PEG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the device of FIG. 1 with the device in position to be used as a boat boarding ladder;

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of the device of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken as on lines 55 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken as on line 6-6 in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of the device of FIG. 1 showing a method for holding the device in a folded position.

Referring to the drawings and numerals of reference thereon, a boat 10 has two fixedly attached brackets 11, 11 that serve to support a first section 12 of a support rack 13. First section 12 is constituted as a U-shaped piece having two substantially parallel rails 17, 17 and a top cross-member 18. First section 12 is made of tube having a square cross-section and each of the rails 17,

Patented Feb. 20, 1362 17 has a provided hole that is fitted over a boss, 16 that is integral with one of the brackets 11, 11. An L- shaped bolt 14, removably engages each of the brackets 11 and extends through the corresponding rail 17 of first section 12. A wing nut 15 is threadably mounted on bolt 14 and serves to retain the first section 12 on the brackets. The bosses 16, 16 prevent the first section from moving upwardly to disengage bolts 14 from the brackets or from twisting or slipping when under load. A ladder rung 21 is fixedly attached adjacent the downwardly extending end portions of the rails 17, i7 and extends therebetween.

A second section 22 of foldable rack 13 is constituted as a U-shaped portion having substantially parallel rails 23, 23 that are each pivotally attached, as at 219, adjacent a lower end of rails 17, 17 of first section 12 and on the outside of first section 12. A cross member 24 extends between rails 23, 23 and fixedly joins them together. A second ladder rung 25 is fixedly attached between rails 23, 23 of second section 22 approximately midway between cross member 24 and the pivotal connection 24). A clip 26 is positioned at each end of rung 25 and has a leg extending substantially parallel with legs 23 and in direction toward cross member 24. An ofiset bracket 27 is rotatably attached to each of legs 23, 23 and has a leg extending toward cross member 24 spaced from and substantially parallel to rails 23, 23. Bracket 27 is pivoted on the same bolt that holds rung 25 and clip 26 to the rails 23. Brackets 27, 27 are positioned on the opposite side of legs 23, 23 from rung 25. A stop car 28 on each of brackets 27 engages its respective leg 23 and holds the bracket with a ski supporting surface thereof substantially parallel to the. rung 25 and is positioned to allow the bracket to pivot so a tab portion 4t? will clear the first section 12 of the ladder.

A pair of clamp brackets 30, 3b are fixedly attached to rails 23, 23 of second section 22 adjacent cross member 24 and each has an upstanding finger 31, 31. Fingers 31, 31 cooperate with cross member 24 to form a rack on which a tow line 32 may be coiled. A rigid handle 29 attached to tow line 32 may be positioned parallel to and rest on the cross member 24 of second section 22 when the section is fold d upwardly. The line may then be coiled around the rack formed by the fingers 31, 31 and cross member 24. The coiled line will form an enclosure to keep the handle retained in position on the rung. The loose end of the line may then be looped around an intermediate portion of the line coil and the cross member and secured in any desired manner.

Each of brackets 31? has a threaded ear 33 extending at substantially right angles to its adjacent leg through which a screw 34 is threadably mounted. A ski retaining bracket 35 is rotatably mounted with respect to each of screws 34, 34 and is slidably mounted on one of rails 23 and is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the ladder. Each of ski retaining brackets 35, 35 has two notches 36, 36 open away from cross member 24. One of the notches 3'6 aligns with rung 25 and the other notch 36 aligns with the otfset portion of bracket 27.

Second portion 22 of the rack 13 may be folded upwardly toward first section 12 as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 and retained in this position by an inwardly extending tab portion 40 of the offset bracket 27 that engages a portion of the first section 12. This is best illustrated in FIG. 7. First section 12 of the rack is of dimension to rest between the rails 23, 23 of the second section. The brackets 27, 27 then hold the first section 12 snugly between the rails 23 of the second section and against rung 25. With the rack in this folded position, a water ski 37 may be positioned on brackets 27, 27 and will engage one of notches 36 of each of retaining brackets 35. A second ski 37 may be positioned on the rung 25 and will engage a second of the notches 36 of each of the ski retaining brackets. The screws 34 may be individually adjusted to clamp down onto the skis and hold them snugly in position. The tow line 32 then may be coiled around the line rack as previously described to be held neatly out of the way. As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 the second section of the rack may be rotated downwardly to position so that rails 23, 23 are substantially vertically aligned with rails 17, 17 of the first section and the rack will thereby form a boarding ladder with the cross member 24 of second secton 22 being below the water surface and acting as the bottom ladder rung and the cross member 13 of first section 12 acting as a top rung of the ladder. A reinforcing strip 41 attached to the boat is shown holding second section 22 in spaced relationship with the side of the boat. However, the brackets 11, 11 will ordinarily support the second section sufficiently without the reinforcing strip 41. 7

When the rack is folded as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with the skis and tow line in place, the entire unit may be removed from the boat by merely loosening the wing nuts 15 sumciently so that each of the rails 17 of first section 12 may be moved to clear its respective boss 16 and the portion of L-shaped bolts 14 in brackets 11 may then be slid upward to clear the bracket. The folded unit may then be carried or stored where desired. The skis will be held securely and may then be stored together with the tow line and will be ready for use at all times. When fastened to the boat, the rack holds the skis and line out of the way of the passengers and prevents loss and damage to the skis from accidentally losing them overboard. In addition, the boat passengers will not trip or stumble over skis that are lying on the floor of the boat or on the seat. The added safety from this storage will increase boating pleasure.

What is claimed is:

1. A combination boat boarding ladder and line storage rack including a first ladder section having side rails and at least one rung fixedly attached between said rails, means for removably fastening said first section to a boat, a second ladder section having side rails each pivotally attached to one of said side rails of said first section at a point above the water line of said boat, said second sec tion having at least one rung fixedly attached between said side rails, said second section being movable from a first position wherein said rung of said second section extends below the water line of said boat to a second position wherein said rails of said second section are substantially parallel to the rails of said first section and extend upwardly from said pivot point, releasable means for retaining said second section in said second position, and a finger fixedly attached with respect to each of said rails of said second section and extending upwardly from said second section when said second section is in said second position, said tow line being coiled around said fingers to encompass said cross member of said second section, said cross member of said second section, said fingers and interior portions of said tow line defining an upwardly open handle receiving enclosure, and said rigid tow line handle being attached to said tow line at one end thereof and positioned within said enclosure.

2. A combination boat boarding ladder and storage rack including a first ladder section having substantially parallel side rails and at least one rung joining said rails, means for removably fastening said first section to a boat, a second ladder section having substantially parallel side rails and at least one rung extending between said rails, each of said rails of said second section being pivotally mounted to one of said rails of said first section at a point above the water line of said boat, said second section being movable from a first position wherein said rung of said second section is situated below the water line of said boat to a second position wherein said second section extends upwardly and is substantially coplanar with and overlying said first section to form aistorage rack, means for retaining said second section in said second position,

a water ski retaining bracket fixedly attached with respect to said second section, a clamp slidably mounted with respect to said ski retaining bracket, and threadable means for moving said clamp to position to cooperate with said retaining bracket to retain water skis placed therebetween. 3. A combination boat boarding ladder and storage rack including a first ladder section having substantially parallel side rails and at least one rung extending therebetween, means for removably fastening said first section with respect to said boat, a second ladder section having substantially parallel side rails and at least one rung extending between said rails, said side rails of said second section being pivotally fastened adjacent a first end thereof to said side rails of said first ladder section at a point above the water line of said boat, said second section being movable from a first position substantially aligned with and extending downwardly from said first section with the rung of said second section below the water line of said boat to a second position wherein said second section is substantially coplanar with and overlying said first section to form a storage rack, releasable means for holding said second section in said second position, a water ski receiving bracket fixedly attached with respect to each of said rails of said second section, a threaded bracket fixedly attached with respect to a second end portion of each of said rails of said second section, a screw threadably mounted with respect to each of said threaded brackets, and a clamp rotatably mounted with respect to each of said screws, each of said clamps being positioned to be movable toward said ski receiving brackets and each being of configuration to cooperate with one of said receiving brackets to hold water skis. 4. A combination boat boarding ladder and storage rack including a first U-shaped ladder section having substantially parallel side rails and a top cross member, means for removably fastening said first section to said boat to have a first side of said first section facing said boat and a second side thereof facing away from said boat, a first rung fixedly attached between said side rails of said first section adjacent a bottom end thereof and contiguous to and extending outwardly from said second side of said first section, a second U-shaped ladder section having substantially parallel side rails and a cross member extending between said rails each of said side rails of said second section pivotally attached at a point above the water line of the boat to one of said side rails of said first U-shaped section adjacent the bottom end of said first U-shaped section, said second section being movable from a first position wherein said second section extends downwardly from said first section with the cross member of said second section below the water line of said boat to a second position wherein said cross member of said second section is above and overlying said first section, a second rung fixedly attached with respect to an intermediate portion of the rails of said second section and positioned to be substantially parallel to, spaced from and substantially overlying said first rung when said second section is in said second position, a pair of clips each fixedly attached adjacent an end of said second rung, said clips extending toward the cross member of said second section and substantially parallel to and spaced from said rails of said second section, an offset bracket pivotally attached to each of said rails of said second section on a side opposite from said second rung, each of said offset brackets being of configuration to engage a portion of said first ection to hold said second section in said second position and being pivotable to position to clear said first section, said offset brackets and said clips each constituting a ski receiving bracket open toward said cross member of said second section, a clamp slidably positioned with respect to each of said rails of said second section, said clamps each having two ski retaining notches, each of said notches being substantially aligned with one of said ski receiving brackets, and means for threadably mounting said clamps with respect to said rails of said second section.

5. A combination boat boarding ladder and storage rack including a first U-shaped ladder section having substantially parallel side rails and a top cross member, means for removably fastening said first section to said boat to have a first side of said first section facing said boat and a second side thereof facing away from said boat, a first rung fixedly attached between said side rails of said first section adjacent a bottom end thereof and contiguous to and extending outwardly from said second side of said first section, a second U-shaped ladder section having substantially parallel side rails and a cross member extending between said rails each of said side rails of said second section pivotally attached at a point above the water line of the boat to one of said side rails of said first U-shaped section adjacent the bottom end of said first U-shaped section, said second section being movable from a first position wherein said second section extends downwardly from said first section with the cross member of said second section below the water line of said boat to a second position wherein said cross member of said second section is above and overlying said first section, a second rung fixedly attached with respect to an intermediate portion of the rails of said second section and positioned to be substantially parallel to, spaced from and substantially overlying said first rung when said second section is in said section position, a pair of clips each fixedly attached adjacent an end of said second rung, said clips extending toward the cross member of said second section and substantially parallel to and spaced from said rails of said second section, an offset bracket pivotally attached to each of said rails of said second section on a 6 side opposite from said second rung, each of said offset brackets being of configuration to engage a portion of said first section to hold said second section in said secend position and being pivotab-le to position to clear said first section, said ofiset brackets and said clips each constituting a ski receiving bracket open toward said cross member of said second section, a clamp slidably positioned with respect to each of said rails of said second section, said clamps each having two ski retaining notches, each of said notches being substantially aligned with one of said ski receiving brackets, means for threadably mounting said clamps with respect to said rails of said second section, and a finger fixedly attached with respect to each of said rails of said second section and extending upwardly from said second section when said second section is in said second position, said tow line being coiled around said fingers to encompass said cross member of said second section, said cross member of said second section, said fingers and interior portions of said tow line defining an upwardly open handle receiving enclosure, and said rigid tow line handle being attached to said tow line at one end thereof and positioned within said enclosure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 599,666 Thornton, et a1. Feb. 22, 1898 1,068,890 Gohlke July 29, 1913 1,103,008 Cory July 7, 1914 2,364,521 Fairfax Dec. 5, 1944 2,536,966 Teller Jan. 2, 1951 

